The month of November can be a bittersweet time for me. It conjures painful memories of grief and loss; this year was particularly melancholy. Being a northeast resident, we faced back-to-back weather challenges with Hurricane Sandy and then a Nor’easter which dumped nearly ten inches of snow. My office was closed for an entire week due to power outages which oddly didn’t feel like a break from work. Rather, it felt like I was persistently on call waiting to be ordered back to the office. This was my entrance into November this year and I’ve felt off center since.

Who is responsible for providing supervision for professional school counselors? Is it the responsibility of their site administrator? Or perhaps, a district level individual whose job entails overseeing various educational support professionals?

A few years ago I was at a conference and saw a display table for a program called “Spring Lake Ranch” and met Rachel Stark who was manning the booth and also was in charge of Admissions and Outreach. I found her to be a bit different, unlike others who were simply trying to sell a program. Rachel appeared to not be trying to sell a program so much as she was trying to promote an idea. This intrigued me mainly because it is how I feel about the programs that I developed and direct. Hers is not mainstream to say the least, which really is a shame when you think about it. Nestled on 600 acres of land in Vermont they have developed a true therapeutic community. The program blends ranch work with a therapeutic milieu; a combination of lay people and licensed pros make up the program staff. Clients take part in everything from growing food and animals, to woodwork, syrup making, maintenance etc. they learn how to adapt to life in more productive ways, how to address their issues, increase personal responsibility and self respect and also how to be both interdependent and as independent as possible; a combination that is hard to find.

It’s final exam time at KEMU. The exam system here is a little different than what I have known; and, you may have read my descriptions of the exam writing process if you are a regular blog follower (Hey, I hope you are—even though I don’t know who you are).

Through the major transitions, grieving of losses, onset of loneliness, and perceived loss of control, the relinquishment of roles typical of adulthood and acceptance of roles typical to later life become a great challenge for older adults. As I have worked with older adult clients, another theme that adds to the difficulties of adjusting to later life revolves around learning to navigate new roles. Many older adults worked for up to four decades in the same job, developing an identity that was very connected to that job. I have worked with female clients who identify as a mother before anything else; however, are still learning to adjust to having their grown children act as their caregiver, while they are left with no one to care for. These are just a couple examples of the role changes that I have seen in working with my older adult clients. Such role changes go deeper than simply getting use to a new way of living; they tap into the core identity of a person. When that identity is shaken, feelings of anxiety and depression are common symptoms of the struggle to adjust to the changing roles.

On the week of thanksgiving I visited a dentist because I was experiencing severe discomfort on the right side of my mouth every time I chewed. After running a few tests and x-rays, the doctor informed me that I had a fractured molar. The tooth had been damaged to the point where it agitated a nerve which also contributed to mild headaches and earaches. All of these conditions were caused by this fractured tooth which the doctor and I assumed was a result of habitual ice chewing. The doctor indicated that my safest option was to extract the tooth because it could potentially get infected since the tooth was fractured to the nerve. Talk about great timing… NOT! I became extremely concerned about my ability to eat on thanksgiving because I like to eat. I was bothered by not being able to enjoy the meals and desserts that are only prepared during the holidays. This concern prompted me to explore immediacy and the existential meaning behind this internal event. How did this one tooth make a significant impact among the other 31 that were ready and willing to entertain some thanksgiving grub and how does that apply to life in general? There was meaning in this moment….

You CAN find an internship. Really!!! To some, this is the height of obviousness. They are well-connected by their academic program, family or personality, hard work, good politics, or just sheer luck. They’ve got any number of options come internship time. To others, this is the height of optimism. They are less-than-connected, by virtue of their online studentship, youth or senectitude, years spent in some other career, or just plain old bad luck. But even so – you can find an internship!

As I sit at my desk, the day before Thanksgiving, the start of the holiday season, I think of all the things in my life that I am most thankful for. Included in my thoughts is the fact that I am not incarcerated. Not that I have ever done anything to be incarcerated for, but after working in the criminal justice system for over 30 years, the fact that I can go home to my own life after work, is something that I am very thankful for.

Well, the holidays have arrived! I love this time of year and relish the time I get to spend with family and friends. I look forward to “jacket weather” and watching my animals become wooly mammoths as they grow their winter coats. My favorite holiday memories include all of the Thanksgiving Day rides aboard my beloved horse, Irish. We rode for hours through the forest and fields behind our house as I recited my gratitude list in time to his trot and canter. It is a very humbling experience to create and recite a gratitude list and I highly suggest we all have one in our back pockets – especially when times are tough.